dull

== English == === Etymology 1 === From Middle English dull, dul (also dyll, dill, dwal), from Old English dol (“dull, foolish, erring, heretical; foolish, silly; presumptuous”), from Proto-West Germanic *dol, from Proto-Germanic *dulaz, from earlier *dwulaz, a variant of *dwalaz (“stunned, mad, foolish, misled”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwel-, *dʰewel- (“to dim, dull, cloud, make obscure, swirl, whirl”). Cognate with Scots dull, doll (“slow to understand or hear, deaf, dull”), North Frisian dol (“rash, unthinking, giddy, flippant”), Dutch dol (“crazy, mad, insane”), Low German dul, dol (“mad, silly, stupid, fatuous”), German toll (“crazy, mad, wild, fantastic”), Danish dval (“foolish, absurd”), Icelandic dulur (“secretive, silent”), West-Flemish dul (angry, furious). ==== Alternative forms ==== dul, dulle (both obsolete) ==== Pronunciation ==== (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /dʌl/ (Northern England) IPA(key): /dʊl/ Rhymes: -ʌl ==== Adjective ==== dull (comparative duller, superlative dullest) Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp. Synonym: blunt Antonym: sharp Boring; not exciting or interesting. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:boring Not shiny; having a matte finish or no particular luster or brightness. Synonyms: lackluster, matte; see also Thesaurus:dim Antonym: bright a dull fire or lamp;  a dull red or yellow;  a dull mirror Not bright or intelligent; stupid; having slow understanding. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:stupid Antonyms: see Thesaurus:intelligent Sluggish, listless. Synonyms: ponderous, slothful; see also Thesaurus:lazy, Thesaurus:slow Bored, depressed, down. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:be bored, Thesaurus:sad Cloudy, overcast. Insensible; unfeeling. Synonyms: emotionless; see also Thesaurus:alexithymic Heavy; lifeless; inert. Synonyms: immobile; see also Thesaurus:inactive, Thesaurus:stationary c. 1857', Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Table-Talk As turning the logs will make a dull fire burn, so changes of study a dull brain. (of pain etc) Not intense; felt indistinctly or only slightly. Not clear, muffled. (of a noise or sound) ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== dull (third-person singular simple present dulls, present participle dulling, simple past and past participle dulled) (transitive) To render dull; to remove or blunt an edge or something that was sharp. (transitive) To soften, moderate or blunt; to make dull, stupid, or sluggish; to stupefy. (intransitive) To lose a sharp edge; to become dull. To render dim or obscure; to sully; to tarnish. ===== Synonyms ===== dullen ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === Probably from Irish dul, dol (“loop, noose, snare”). ==== Pronunciation ==== (General American) IPA(key): /dʌl/ (Ireland) IPA(key): /dʌl/, /dul/ ==== Noun ==== dull (plural dulls) (Ireland, Southern US, now rare or obsolete) A noose of string, metal wire, or hair used to snare an animal, especially a fish. ===== Further reading ===== 1953, Michael Traynor, The English Dialect of Donegal, page 91: "Dull (Dŭhl, dül), n., v. Also in form dool. 1. n. A loop, noose of rope or cord (McD. L. OB); esp. a running knot (MacI); a snare. In fishing with drag-nets the term "completing the dull" (making the loop complete) is used on L. Swilly (H). 2. v. To loop. Dull that rope round the tree. Hence i. Dulling, vbl. n., a method of catching sheep by means of a noose. When a sheep has got into a fix upon cliffs and cannot be climbed to, the best cliff-man goes out provided with a noose [...] and gets the loop round some part of the sheep, pulls the slip-knot taut and hauls out the sheep. This is called dulling sheep and is a regular art at Hornhead; […] " 2011, Diarmaid Ó Muirithe, Words We Don't Use (Much Anymore): "I heard dulling from a sheepman at the bottom of Errigal mountain, a method of catching sheep stuck in a ravine by means of a noose." ==== Verb ==== dull (third-person singular simple present dulls, present participle dulling, simple past and past participle dulled) (Ireland, Southern US, now rare or obsolete) To fish (or snare an animal, especially a fish) with such a noose. === References === “dull”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “dull”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. === References === === Anagrams === ULDL == Catalan == === Alternative forms === duïll, dui === Etymology === Inherited from Old Catalan duyll, from Late Latin ducīculus, diminutive from Latin ducem (“guide”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈduʎ] === Noun === dull m (plural dulls) (nautical) scupper Synonym: embornal bung-hole === References === Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “dull”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan) === Further reading === “dull”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 == Welsh == === Etymology === Morris Jones traces this from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show, point out”) via a formation *doix-sl-, but Russell instead derives this from *to-ud-lom. === Pronunciation === (North Wales) IPA(key): /dɨ̞ɬ/ (South Wales) IPA(key): /dɪɬ/ === Noun === dull m (plural dulliau) method, manner Synonyms: ffordd, modd, cynllun appearance, style Synonyms: gwedd, ffasiwn ==== Derived terms ==== cynnull (“to collect together”) yn null cloc (“clockwise”) === Mutation === === References === === Further reading === D. G. Lewis, N. Lewis, editors (2005–present), “dull”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “dull”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies == Yola == === Etymology === From Middle English dul, from Old English dol, from Proto-West Germanic *dol. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /dol/ === Adjective === dull mad ==== Derived terms ==== dullate === References === Diarmaid Ó Muirithe (1990), “A Modern Glossary of the Dialect of Forth and Bargy”, in lrish University Review‎[2], volume 20, number 1, Edinburgh University Press, page 156